Fried Spaghetti With Golden Crumbs

I'm sharing with you today my recipe for Fried Spaghetti with garlic, chilli and lemon zest then sprinkled with golden, crunchy sourdough breadcrumbs.

I use angel hair pasta in this fried spaghetti recipe too, so it's a quick comfort food dinner in under ten minutes.

This fried spaghetti is one of my all time favourites. This easy vegetarian pasta dish is packed with the flavour of garlic, chilli and lemon plus the crunchy texture of pangrattato (golden, toasted Italian style breadcrumbs) and then sprinkled liberally with grated parmesan cheese...mmm...

This pasta is a delicious way to use up leftover bread without it going to waste. Or if you are like me, I always have some sourdough crumbs stashed in the freezer ready to make this dish.

I like to be prepared because this is the dinner that I have when I'm at home alone, and no one is paying attention the distinct lack of vegetables in my bowl!

Why you will love fried spaghetti

• It's fast - only 10 minutes.
• And easy.
• It's tasty pasta, with crunchy crumbs. Win win.

Ingredients you will need for this recipe

• pasta (I used angel hair)
• day old sourdough breadcrumbs
• olive oil
• garlic
• fresh red chilli
• lemon zest
• parmesan cheese to serve

*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions

How to make fried spaghetti

1. In a frying pan, fry breadcrumbs in olive oil, then remove.
2. Meanwhile cook pasta, drain and mix though more olive oil.
3. Fry garlic, chilli and lemon zest.
4. Add drained pasta to pan, mixing to coat and fry slightly. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and serve.

Top tips

• Depending on the size of your bread loaf, you will need about two thick slices of sourdough to get the half a cup of crumbs you need for this fried spaghetti (extra is not a bad thing!). Just toss them into a food processor to make coarse crumbs. You could also tear them by hand if you like.
• No sourdough? Use any kind of coarse, chunky style breadcrumbs. Flavoured sourdough is great too.
• If you have sourdough but it's fresh, that's OK too. It's just easier to make it into crumbs if it's not fresh, and it crisps up faster in the pan.
• If you have some breadcrumbs already made in the freezer that you can use, just toss them in frozen. I do this all the time!
• The fried breadcrumbs will crisp a little more on standing.
• Removing the ribs and seeds from the chilli will take a lot of the heat out. Feel free to leave them in if you want it hotter!
• I have chosen angel hair spaghetti for this recipe because it's super quick. The pack I purchase cooks in two minutes once the water has come back to the boil. Feel free to use whatever type or shape of pasta you like for this dish, but the cooking time will vary accordingly.
• Please don't skip the step of mixing a little extra olive oil through the cooked pasta. The cooked pasta will clump together very quickly, even while you are stirring it in the pan with the garlic etc.

Serving suggestions and ideas for add ins

• Great as a meal on it's own, this fried spaghetti pasta would also make a great side dish.
• Fried prawns (shrimp) would make a great addition to this simple pasta.
• Chopped parsley or basil would be good too.

More recipes you may enjoy

Pasta with Chorizo and Bocconcini - spicy fresh chorizo sausage combined with sweet tomatoes & basil, creamy bocconcini, silky pasta & crunchy crumbs on top.

Bruschetta Pasta - the traditional flavour & crunch of tomato and basil bruschetta as a pasta dish, with the added kick of prosciutto.

Pesto Pasta - a quick dish of penne pasta and cherry tomatoes with a basil pesto and pasta water sauce for a fast and fresh pasta.

Cream Cheese Pasta - quick and easy comfort food using cream cheese and starchy pasta water to create a lusciously creamy, cheesy pasta sauce.

📖 Recipe

Easy Fried Spaghetti With Golden Crumbs

0.5x1x2x3x

This pan fried spaghetti is flavoured with garlic, chilli and lemon zest then sprinkled with golden, crunchy sourdough breadcrumbs.

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Total Time: 10 minutes

Serving: 2

Calories: 493kcal

Author: Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

MetricUS customary

• 150 g pasta I used angel hair
• ½ cup day old sourdough breadcrumbs coarse/chunky (see my notes)
• 4 tablespoon olive oil plus extra as required
• 2 fresh garlic cloves cores removed and crushed
• 1 long red chilli finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed)
• zest of ½ a lemon finely grated
• fresh parmesan to serve grated

Instructions

• Heat olive oil (1 tbsp) in a medium fry pan, and fry breadcrumbs until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
  4 tablespoon olive oil

  ½ cup day old sourdough breadcrumbs
• Meanwhile cook pasta according to packet directions, then drain and return pasta to pot. Immediately mix though 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat pasta.
  150 g pasta
• Heat remaining olive oil (2 tbsp) in the pan you cooked the breadcrumbs in, then fry red chilli and lemon zest for 30 seconds.
  1 long red chilli

  zest of ½ a lemon
• Add garlic to pan then add drained pasta to pan, mixing quickly to coat and fry slightly (add a little more olive oil if needed). Sprinkle with reserved breadcrumbs and serve with fresh grated parmesan.
  2 fresh garlic cloves

  fresh parmesan to serve

Notes

• Depending on the size of your bread loaf, you will need about two thick slices of sourdough to get the half a cup of crumbs you need for this fried spaghetti (extra is not a bad thing!). Just toss them into a food processor to make coarse crumbs. You could also tear them by hand if you like.
• No sourdough? Use any kind of coarse, chunky style breadcrumbs. Flavoured sourdough is great too.
• If you have sourdough but it's fresh, that's OK too. It's just easier to make it into crumbs if it's not fresh, and it crisps up faster in the pan.
• If you have some breadcrumbs already made in the freezer that you can use, just toss them in frozen. I do this all the time!
• The fried breadcrumbs will crisp a little more on standing.
• Removing the ribs and seeds from the chilli will take a lot of the heat out. Feel free to leave them in if you want it hotter!
• I have chosen angel hair spaghetti for this recipe because it's super quick. The pack I purchase cooks in two minutes once the water has come back to the boil. Feel free to use whatever type or shape of pasta you like for this dish, but the cooking time will vary accordingly.
• Please don't skip the step of mixing a little extra olive oil through the cooked pasta. The cooked pasta will clump together very quickly, even while you are stirring it in the pan with the garlic etc.

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*